MEN WHO HYPNOTISE GIRLS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 119, 18 May 1909, Page 6

MEN WHO HYPNOTISE GIRLS.

M;: 0; ■: :■ HypnotfemKsaiaia; -doctor^'to the *'V'i.%Ti^r recently^ is & force; which ;we S^ are^w bouMSo consider in mcdi- ■;'"'■ cine, aiid I can assure (says a / •;writer in a London ..paW) .that, at ::,:■;;■ times it is very difficult to^ combat. 'The power Of hypnotism, of course, ;"/- ia n ot possessed by everyone,, and it .: , would be a mighty bad r^ m^ S medical science if it were. Many pSSons doubtless are; hypnotists ■~.; S>ut knowing t, and f^^E "of hynotism,may he. latent in them . without ever being called to life. * - Hypnotism is a power which may be .V.- S^forl good or ill, and I am sorry > S say that the majority ot cases - "which have come under my notice : vv: Sm me in the. belief that usually '-' :^'lt Srtbe unworthy motive which H. V prompts the exercise of hypnotic ■ P°Take a recent case, for instance-— - one which has caused a^good deal ot discussion among medical men — in ■'■v ■''•■• which a young lady was, or says she ■>' was. hypnotise^ by a man. she met *T on the train. ,Tq .her belief she had •!i never seen the man before, yet _she C v ; felt the power of his presence before £'■£■ ever her eyes met his: -i She stated ■-' that she. was reading, m a .comdor r^ ; carriage ot: an; express yhen the door .;■-■•/••■' opened and a stranger-entered., bne :- >'>• did riotlook^ up, but|;instantly telt a ! contraction around her heart and the ~ tightening of,every fibrem her being. SK^ endeavoured to concentrate her "■* ■- attention on her-book, : but it was ! I- useless,1 and finally; she .raised -her ■■■:■ 'eyes and stared Ml 9 full m the.face. t-" - The man was. smiling; and, without t in the least. desiring to,do so, the girl v: smiled back: Thus eftcouraged, the ~ '. stranger took a seat beside her and ; talked; unaffectedly , and interestingly on many subjects...■•.. . .:. ; . ,\.. %■■•"■'■* On the stopping oi the tram she, v according to her testimony, desired to '■ tell the stranger that .she alighted : there, but, instead, made no apparent , •.■'•■ attempt to do so. At the n^xt station the stranger, asked if, it.- were her ■destination as well as his/ and.she re- ■■'•. . plied that it was, though she realised '-•'"■'' *illy^at kshei was telling a lie.; Io ;": :'•■-' ijiako ia^lflng:stoi^.^9*ti''the young '■■"!rr ■:■: lafly fell completely under. :tne^pqwer " ■ ' o£ Ji man1 -nameeieven ,i she did, '; » ■ not--fed*. P* She ; %evfr ,returned : vto "::": the friends who; were waiting, tor ' ■ "■' her and it was ofily after six ; months , of search by the police that she was , at last discovered living in a single room" in a low part of a big city. The, man had deserted her. I was among those who heard her story related in a sane and simple manner, and I have not the slightest doubt that the villain who brought Qn her so much sorrow was a, past-master in the art of hypnotic influence, and that-he is even now working his baleful spells on other women"; for the police,: so far, have failed; to arrest him.- ■■ Some time ago a well-known society woman brought her daughter to me and tragically demanded, that 1 save \ her from the uncanny influence ot a man that both she and her daugn- : , ter utterly hated. The young girl : openly expressed her, detestation tor the man, and yet, according to the .mother, she performed without questioning every demand hemade. bne would k>ep everp . appointment, no matter what engagement she had to put off to do so, and was, ma word, completely under his spell. . , There was nothing known against the man, 1 ' \ and he was pleasant.and amiable m society, but the , unhappy mother could not but feel that there was: a terrible danger in the power, which he* exercised over her daughter. After going into, the case I advised that the man should be forbidden the house, but the elder woman replied that she could not do this as she would have to give some explanation, nnd the doing so might compromise her daughter. Every suggestion 1 made for getting rid of the.objectionable hypnotist was met with some excuse, until 'I lost my. temper and ■ exclaimed: 'It seems to me that you too, madam, are under his influence. She left, much ! dissatisfied and annoyed, and a month later I read that her daughter had been. married to :•••* the man they> both appeared todread. i* *#;■'- ■ .Whettier: '10-■■•%%&• ■-emtciaes^ -his - &y|^ "*?:' notic influence■oveE.iier -1- ;dp not ■ '•■;r -'': s r ■-■fclfCrtr^v-.5' '7 - • "•■ ■•'. '; " ■■'. ■■ ;. -J.'c: :':' ■'■'■'■■ '■ ;.,• .'. An extraordinary /.case nailing tjom ; America-,iriterestes|.-.nie; greatly, as ,:&. friend of mine'was called as a witness ,; against the man whose power of persuasion , if you can call it that, led to so much that was tragic. His name was Keller, and he was accused of "influencing" no fewer than seven- ' * teen young and wealthy girls, whose names were, however, kept from the paper*. Tho man's procedure was to obtain an introduction to any young lady whose! parents were wealthy, and then, by exercising the power of hypnotism which he undoubtedly pos- ■•■', -sessed, extract from her not" only hej% own money, but .also thousands, or Vloljars which he compelled her to •'- obtain from her father or mother.

This man's hypnotic progress was only stayed. . : through suspicion arpused'-'in^the mind of a wealthy^ broker , of;"? Ghida'go, -who pio- - ticed that his-. :< influence^ over his ;daughter'.seemed stronger, than circumstances warranted: So lie kept a strict watch, and, actually secured the scoundrel as he was eloping with his daughter, who was barely seventeen. He was handed over to the police, who gathered together such a mass 'of evidence ,against him, involving the reputations of many prominent families, that, it/ was considered wiser to hush the matter up. The 'hypnotist? received several years' imprisonment, and would be in jail now only he brought matters to a hasty conclusion through the medium oi' a strong nail, and a pair of suspenders.